Almost every family already runs a baby pool. Somebody starts a group text, everybody throws out a date, and then nine weeks later nobody can remember who said what — or the person who guessed closest is arguing with the person who wrote the list.
The game is fine. The record-keeping is the part that breaks. This is how to run one properly: everyone picks a slot on a shared board, the guesses are locked, and when the baby arrives the maths is done for you — measured against the real moment, not rounded, so the result is not something anyone has to take on trust.
The pool anyone will join
Nobody needs the rules explained
Pick a day, pick a time, closest wins. There is no sport to follow, no season to wait for and nothing to score. It is the only pool you can send to your aunt without a follow-up text.
It can be a gift instead of a bet
Split the pot — half to whoever is closest, half to the new parents. That one setting turns a wager into a shower present with a game attached, and it is why people join who would never join a squares board.
No accounts, no app
A guest taps the link, picks a time, types a name and an email, and they are in. The email exists so we can tell them if they won, and for nothing else.
How precise should a guess be?
Slot size decides whether the board is a race or an empty field. Match it to how many people you expect — roughly 20 to 50 slots per guest is the sweet spot.
Setting one up takes about a minute
- Set the due date and the timezone
The due date only sets the guessing window — it never scores anything. The timezone is the setting people get wrong: pick where the BIRTH will happen, not where you are. Every guess is then read on that clock, so the cousin in Arizona is judged the same as the sister in Ohio.
- Choose how wide the window is
A week either side of the due date is the default and covers most arrivals. Plenty come two weeks early or late, and a guess cannot be made outside the window — so widen it if you are unsure. It costs nothing.
- Pick how precise a guess can be
This is the one decision worth a minute of thought. See the table above: it decides whether the board is a race or an empty field.
- Say who is coming
One baby, twins or triplets. If you already know the sex, say so and we will not ask people to guess it. Add a name if one is chosen and you are happy to share it.
- Decide if there is money in it
Free is a perfectly good pool. If you charge, set the split with the parents and everyone sees it on the join screen before they pay a penny.
- Share one link
Everyone guesses on their phone. Turn on sharing and the guests can forward it themselves, which is how these actually spread.
- When baby arrives, type the real time
You see the standings first and confirm separately — so an AM/PM slip is a correction, not an announcement. Everyone gets emailed the result, and whoever was closest gets their own email telling them they won.
The things people ask
How does a baby pool work?
Everyone guesses the day and time the baby will arrive. When the baby comes, the organiser enters the real date and time, and every guess is ranked by how far off it was — measured against the actual moment, not rounded to the nearest slot. Closest wins. You will also see it called a baby betting pool, a due-date pool, or a guess-the-birth-date game.
What do people actually guess?
A date and a time. You choose how precise that can be — anything from "morning or afternoon" to the exact minute. You can also add optional guesses for birth weight, length, head circumference and boy-or-girl, each scored on its own with its own winner.
Do guests need an account?
No. They tap the link, pick a time, type a name and an email and they are done — usually under a minute. The email is only used to tell them if they won.
What if the baby comes outside the guessing window?
Nothing is void. Babies do not respect the window. Everyone is still ranked by how far their guess was from the real moment.
How do you handle family in different timezones?
You choose one timezone when you set the pool up — the one where the birth will happen — and every guess is read on that clock no matter where the person guessing is sitting. This is the thing most homemade baby pools get wrong, and it only shows up at the end when you are working out who won.
What happens if two people tie?
It is possible: one guess an hour early and one an hour late are exactly the same distance away. That is a real tie and the organiser settles it — split it, or use one of the bonus guesses like the weight as the decider.
Can we have money in it?
Yes, and the nicest way to run it is a split — say half to the closest guess and half to the parents. Set the price per guess and the share, and everyone sees it before they pay. Players pay the organiser directly through Venmo, PayPal, check or cash; ChooseASquare never holds the money and takes no cut.
We are having twins. Does that work?
Yes. Everyone still guesses ONE arrival time — the first baby’s — because twins are minutes apart and a second board would be the first one plus eleven minutes for everybody. Weight, length and boy-or-girl are asked for each baby, and you get two questions only a multiple birth can ask: who arrives first, and how many minutes between them. Triplets add "who arrives last".
Can people change their guess?
Only if the organiser allows it. Guesses are final by default, because a time is a claim on a slot and letting people vacate and re-take the good ones rewards whoever refreshes most. The organiser can always move or remove a guess themselves.
Is it free?
Yes, on every plan including the free one. You can charge an entry fee if you want to — that money goes to you, not to us — but running the pool costs nothing.
Start a baby pool
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